Saturday, March 5, 2011

His Needs, Her Needs

Will and I are reading a book... okay I’m reading a book out loud with Will called His Needs, Her Needs, given to us by our “marriage mentors”. One of Will’s needs, according to the book, is an attractive spouse. We didn’t really need to go into this one, as Will gave a “check” as I read the chapter title. But as I dove into it, I found that what goes along with being an attractive spouse is hygiene. Red flag. This is something that has become quite questionable lately as I’m finding more days accumulating between my showers. This is not necessarily due to a lack of activity causing me to become dirty (probably the opposite) but more so due to the anxiety I get prior to shower time when I consider washing my mane. The problem is my jungle hair, as my mother likes to call it. As my hair grows longer, it seems to mat into one giant chunk. And not just after 8 days of not washing it, but even just after 1 day. I’ve grown really attached to this length of chunk so cutting it hasn’t really been an option. I consider myself very fortunate, though, because I’ve found a companion that washes as often as I do. Yes, we will most likely be the smelly couple and, yes; our child will be the stinky one in the class, but our house will save a butt-load of water and our bodies will, I’m sure, have a natural glow that will attract all kinds of forest animal friends!

On the topic if Will and I, I might have made a little surprise visit to Canada. My brother had a bit of a last minute, informal wedding and I decided family had to happen. I flew into Vancouver, hung out with Aliah for a bit, and hopped in the van with Will’s brother, Thom, to drive to Kamloops. Thom had already arranged to visit Will on their reading break, so it worked out quite well. We got to the mountain, I hid in the back of the van under a blanket and as soon as Will got in the van, Thom turned on the light and out I hopped from under the blanket. I couldn’t figure out how to react to Will’s reaction. It was complete utter shock. I couldn’t even tell if it was good or bad. But it was good. I hung out in Kamloops for a few days and then Will and I set off for Lloydminster for my brother’s wedding. It was an incredible time, and I even feel like it was an anointed time. I loved every second with my family and spent some much-needed time with my mother, brothers, fathers, and sister. Sometimes being so far away and becoming used to them not being around, I forget how much I love hanging out with them. It was really great for Will to hang around too. He’s met them, of course, but this time he really blended in.

It was interesting, though, because this was the first time Will and I saw each other in the winter. I’m happy to say I still think he’s a fox in ski pants and puff jacket and really encouraged that sweat is not the single attraction factor. Seriously, this was our first time cuddling in a temperature below 20 degrees and I've heard it said you must go through every season with a person before you marry, so ... check.

I’m sorry to those I didn’t tell I was coming, which was everyone except Aliah, Thom, and my sister. It was last minute, a big surprise to most, and I really only had a week, which I recognized needed to be focused on my family.

BUT...

My rough tour dates in the next months look like this though:
Now – April 12 – South Africa
April 12 – April 20 – Zambia*
April 20 – April 26 – Malawi*
April 26 – May 2 – Zambia*
May 2 – Will Arrives in Zambia
May 2 – May 14 – Democratic Republic of Congo
May 14 – Roxette Concert in Johannesburg!!!
May 14 – June 1 – South Africa wrap up
June 1 – June 16 – Singapore/Vietnam/Cambodia
June 16 – Canada
July 31 – Wedding**
August 20 – Lloydminster Wedding Celebration
August – Moving to Calgary

*Subject to change
**Definitely not subject to change.

That’s all.
Cheers!